Chapter 230 – Reunited

“Something that matters more than money and honor…?” Ruin muttered and lapsed into a thought.
A second later, he thrust a hand in the air and excitedly cried, “I know the answer! It’s love!”

With a satisfied expression, Cecile gave an exaggerated nod and firmly declared, “And in that respect, you’re out.
Eliminated from the get go! Resume rejected! Disqualified because you failed to meet the conditions! How can I love you when I have the emperor as my husband? In any case, you’re out!” Cecile ruthlessly slid her index finger horizontally across in a throat-slashing gesture with the words ‘out,’ ‘eliminated,’ and so on.

Ruin sounded utterly puzzled when he asked, “Why? What do I lack? Aren’t I good enough to win your love?”

Honestly speaking, Ruin was confident in his looks and his appeal.
Rather, he was overflowing with it.
Be it title or looks, he stood at the summit.
He was the crown prince of the Hyun continent and possessed an outstanding appearance to boot.
Back home, talented painters from all over the land flocked to paint his portrait every day.
They would pull a numbered ticket and wait outside the walls of the imperial palace, begging to be granted a single audience with the prince.

And nothing needed to be said when it came to his martial prowess.
Ruin was the man who subdued all the phantom beasts in the Hyun Continent at a young age, and he dominated and mastered all the demon blades known to be difficult to handle.
Whether it be power, looks, or ability, what in the world did he lack when compared to Estian?

Since Ruin looked as if he truly couldn’t understand, Cecile began her explanation.
“For starters, my emperor is taller than you.”

“There’s no way!”

“It’s true—he’s this much taller.” Cecile spread her thumb and forefinger slightly apart.

“You can’t possibly know that unless we stand side by side, can you? We were almost the same height from what I saw! I might even turn out to be taller if proper measurements are taken!” Ruin protested loudly.
He was indignant! He’d never been called short in his life!

Suddenly, the blue phoenix, which had been staring at Ruin from its perch on Cecile’s shoulder, flew up into the air with a squawk.
A blue light suddenly shot out from its eyes with a flash.

“Hm?” Cecile’s eyes widened when she realized what the phoenix was doing.
The light shooting out of its eyes projected a human figure next to Ruin—it was none other than Estian.
In amazement, she asked, “You can even do something like this?”

The blue phoenix nodded and flapped its wings hard, as if urging her to hurry up and continue her tongue-lashing of that prince.
Feeling impressed by how unexpectedly versatile the bird was, the empress surveyed the figure of Estian that had appeared.
The emperor was indeed taller than the crown prince by the amount she had spread her fingers.

With a smirk, she said, “You can tell, right? You’re smaller.
Smaller, you hear? Small-er.”

“You… You didn’t need to emphasize it three times! Th-that bird could’ve remembered it wrong!”

Ruin’s voice had grown feeble, but Cecile couldn’t care less as she resumed belittling the prince.
“Besides being tall, the physique matters too.
You can tell by standing next to him that my emperor has broader shoulders!”

“We’re almost the same!”

“No, his is broader! By this much!”

“It must be because of his clothes! How can you be sure the emperor didn’t pad his shoulders?”

“No, he didn’t! I’ve seen it!” Cecile had seen Estian’s body in the nude every day.
How dare this prince question her!